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Post by andrewb on Oct 30, 2006 15:40:45 GMT -8
My Nascar-loving 5 yr old can barely ride a bike and now he wants to race cars. I would like to ease him into karting, safety is my biggest concern. Is Moran the best class/training for a 5 yr old with no experience, or is there something closer and a little slower? Any recommendations on getting him started would be much appreciated.
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Post by Rich Pearlman on Oct 30, 2006 19:32:52 GMT -8
Andrew,
You guys will have a blast. I think Moran is a good place to get started for a driving class. All of the kid karts run the same gear, so it should not be too fast.
If you have not checked out any club races, try and do that before the year is up. Talk to other kid kart parents about how they started. SDKA is racing this weekend and Tri-CKarters is racing at Grange next weekend.
Also, this is an excellent time of year to pick up a decent used kart. Check out the classifieds in the forums for Tri-C (www.tri-ckarters.com) and LAKC (www.lakc.org). Also my 14 year-old son is available for Kid Kart driver coaching.
-Rich Pearlman
-------------------
Jacob Pearlman #25
DPK/Birel Junior 2
rfpearlman@aol.com
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Post by Geary Launder on Oct 30, 2006 19:35:42 GMT -8
Moran is actually a fairly advanced course. When our club races there the kids race on a shortened version of the track. Our last race is Nov. 4 but we usually start up again in late Feb. or early March. Any track time you can get the kids is good and safety is always a priority at our races as well as Moran. Apex (near the Perris fairgrounds) is a little closer than Moran and is a shorter track. As far I know it is open for practice pretty much year round although there was word that they were upgrading their track for next season.
Hope that helps.
G.
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Post by kyle on Oct 31, 2006 14:41:54 GMT -8
andrew,
I highly recommend you don't take your son to Moran for practice days. Unless there are a deceent amount of karts they don't separate them out and I have had many very close encounters with a jnew kid karter because they are out there with everyone else. Moran is always pretty busy to the point where it really isn't safe to have him out there. Perris has a very good track for your son to learn the aspects of karting and has considerably less people there on a normal practice day.
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Post by Rich Pearlman on Oct 31, 2006 16:48:31 GMT -8
Andrew,
If you are asking if Moran is a good place to go for Kid Kart school, my answer is still yes. It is a first rate school and facility. It is also OK to practice there IF they are running Kid Kart only sessions mixed in with the practice. That usually depends on the turnout.
We don't care for Apex. I question the safety of the current configuation for a new karter. There are too many places with nothing between you and the fence. Adams and Calspeed are also worth a look. Wherever you go, call ahead and find out if they are going to run KidKart sessions during practice. It is very important.
Also, when practicing, watch out for Kyle! He is fast wherever he is ;D
-Rich Pearlman
-------------------
Jacob Pearlman #25
DPK/Birel Junior 2
rfpearlman@aol.com
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Post by andrew on Nov 2, 2006 10:07:27 GMT -8
Thanks for all the thoughtful advice. I'm sure I'll have plenty of more questions going forward.
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Post by Hal on Nov 2, 2006 12:52:39 GMT -8
Andrew,
My friend took his daughter to Moran during the week, and said there was almost no one at the track.
We were there a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday, and it was busy, and his daughter (nine years old) was punted off into the hay bales by a faster kart, even though she was maintaining a decent pace in her HPV1. Great track, and all my kids (and my wife!) have taken the school at Moran. They maintain their karts well.
Hal
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Post by Just another racer on Jan 14, 2007 0:56:18 GMT -8
My nephew is 8 and has always been into racing, He loves Nascar and knows all the drivers and what cars there in. His father and I also race in Baja, so he also has an off-road interest also. He has been showing some interest in maybe wanting to race. His father and I have incuraged him, but we do not want to spend alot of money to find out this is just something he likes but will get board with or just not like it once he has tryed it. I found out Miramar Speed Curcuit has junior Karts and class on Saturday mornings from 9-10 for kids under 12. We took him there and he loved it . Today we went back for his second time and he has shown great improvement (his best two laps were 43.4 and 43.8 today) and even the instructor said he was doing very well, so now we are going to see about getting him a Kart some time this year.
What you get at Miramar:
1 hour class. 1st they walk the kids around the track and explain the track layout and rules and then they go over the Karts and show them how to steer, brake and gas. Then the put cones in all the turns so the kids learn how to apex the corners and how to take the inside line. After one 10 minute session they pull the kids off the track and talked to them about what they were doing right and wrong and show them their time sheets. They then let them out there for another 10-12 minutes to practice what they were just taught and shown. Afer that session the instructor goes over everything again. But the last 10-12 minute session they remove all the cones so the kids can try to race without them and see how much they learned. At the end of that session the instructor goes out there with them and has them follow him to learn the lines a little better.
So the kids get 1 hour's worth of class and about 35-40 minutes of actual track time. The cost is $50.00 which is pretty cheep if you ask me. It's alot cheeper then buying a kart and finding out they dont like it.
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Post by gmarlow on Jan 14, 2007 8:21:18 GMT -8
Looks like your son would fit into the Junior 1 class. You can look under the classes section on the website for kart info. There were a few junior 1's last year and they have a blast. Its a great time for them to learn. If your lookin for a kart you can look in the classifieds section or get ahold of tom levenberg @ 858-259-8324. Hope this helps
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Post by Rich Pearlman on Jan 15, 2007 19:37:43 GMT -8
Your nephew can get a taste of outdoor karting at the racing school offered by Moran Raceway. It includes classroom and track time. You do not need to own a kart. My info is available at: www.moranraceway.com/pages/racingschool.html . Good people and a great track. SDKA runs there 1-2 times per year. Rich Pearlman ------------------ Jacob Pearlman #25 DPK Birel |
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Post by jstalker on Jan 29, 2007 13:45:58 GMT -8
I don't recomend "starting" your 5 year old at Moran unless you do it on a weekday and /or during one of the driving classes offered by Moran. Definitelty DO NOT take him there on an open practice weekend. It will ruin him and he will not want to get in the kart again. Not to mention the stress it will put on you. Nothing against Moran and the crew, they are GREAT ! I just think he would have a better experience at Apex. I had my son take several lessons from Dave Dimond at Apex Raceway in Perris before we purchased our first kart. The track is operating under a new configureatiuon and Dave is SECOND TO NONE when it comes to working with the kids. Contact Apex and sign up your son for several classes to let him get his feet wet, then go looking for a used kart. Many times you can find someone who is either getting out of karting or has out grown the kid karts and you can get a great "package deal" on ALL the equipment. Should you decide to get into the "world of karting...DO NOT SKIMP ON YOUR SON's SAFETY EQUIPMENT ! There's a reason some brands of equipment cost more than others, plus there are some saftey requirements that must be followed when he starts racing. Find a local club event and come out and just watch and ask questions. The karting community is very friendly and just about anyone will be more than happy to chat with you & your son.
Good luck in your search for "Karting Happiness" !
"Red Gloves Rule"
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Post by andrewb on Mar 6, 2007 16:37:15 GMT -8
OK, so we did the beginner class at Moran, and now we're planning on coming out to the Q this saturday a.m. We'd like to see the KidKarts run if possible, but we have to leave by 9am to get to his t-ball game. We havent been to a kart race yet, so my my question is where do we go, what time should we get there, etc. ? We'd like to check things out, ask some questions and see how things work on race day. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by MikeP on Mar 6, 2007 16:44:22 GMT -8
I will be there with my kids doing the same thing trying to learn the ropes. See my thread under yours for more info. Well SDKA, how 'bout an orientation for the lookieloo's?
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Post by EricFrankenberger on Mar 6, 2007 18:35:22 GMT -8
If you enter the main entrance at Qualcomm and take a right the pits start about 1/2 way around. Racers will be arriving around 7:00a.m. and setting up until about 8:45a.m.. Engines will start at 9:00a.m. and practice should start shortly thier after. You will get a great view of the track and racing from the east side of the fence or you can pay $10 per person to enter the track area. This has to be one of the friendliest bunch of racers you will ever meet so don't be shy to just come out and ask questions. My son has a KidKart but he also will be in teeball so he won't be able to attend saturdays race. I'm sure their will be several kids out thier so just come and ask questions. The kids main event should finish up around 2p.m.? so if the game gets over early enough you should come after and see the action. Either way youll get a wealth of information by just walking around and talking to people.
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